By Erhisode Lindsay Barrett

Most of my activities on social media to date seem to mark me out as a politician or, at least, a very politically active individual; yet I dare say that such a description would not be entirely accurate. And I will go quite some distance back in time to tell you why.

Though born in Ibadan in the late 1960s to a mother who was then a famous TV personality known as Beti Barrett and a very famous journalist father, Lindsay EseOghene Barrett, I could still be described as having humble beginnings due to the kind of discipline involved in my upbringing. And I was a very brilliant child.

My parents separated very early in my life and my younger brother and I’s circumstances changed. We moved with our mother from Ibadan to Benin where her fame grew further with her stint as a very popular newscaster. She reverted back to her maiden name Beti Okotie.

I was not too young in those early ’70s to start noticing so many private and social dynamics which eventually led to my parents divorce, my mother re-marrying and our next relocation from Benin to Warri where she became chief Mrs Beti Edewor.

Settling into this new life was, in so many ways, traumatic for me. My academic brilliance started to wane. I became very very rebellious and generally shed a chunk of the effervescence that was hitherto characteristic of me. Although my earliest memories of church were in the Catholic fold, I can only guess that my budding pertinacious behaviour played a major role in my mother, along with all my younger siblings (we became five in all), perambulating between churches: Baptist, Anglican, even Celestial Church of Christ and a host of others!

Integrity and good character were very important hallmarks of virtually every famous person back in the early to mid ’70s and those who lacked these traits, though still famous, were not as readily appreciated in society as their more socially acceptable counterparts. I can tell you for free that this era tested my mother’s grooming skills to the hilt as she struggled to align my younger ones and I with the choicest influences she believed would put us in the best stead for a better future.

Materially, we lacked nothing good growing up as we were domiciled in Edewor Estate, arguably the best neighbourhood in Warri at that time where virtually all our neighbours were expatriates in the oil and gas sector. Among the few fellow Africans who lived close to us back then were Dr. Henry Akpata, his wife and three children (two daughters and a son) who were all noted for their academic brilliance.

The Akpatas were a very close knit family who obviously chose their friends very carefully too and so were not keen on Olumide, the only son and brother in their home, mingling with anyone they saw as a wrong influence for him. This and the four years difference in age between us initially kept us from being more than mere acquaintances. Through all the birthday parties and other social engagements we met at, though, he became more of a friend and younger brother to me.

My mother did not mince words in telling me back then that she saw in Olu a better choice of friend for me than a few I’d chosen for myself. And from the little I knew about Olu’s parents, I had no doubt that, conversely, they would have instilled in him very opposite sentiments about me! The fact that he got admission into UNIBEN when I was still battling to consolidate my O levels didn’t help much either!

Olu and I hit it off properly in University of Benin in the late ’80s where he was studying law while I was still struggling to find my educational footing in extramural classes. Interestingly, while Olu was already on an upward academic trajectory with other juniors and seniors of mine and some of my contemporaries, I, his senior brother, was still grappling with the elementary stages of acquiring tertiary education! What a life!

Sincerely, I would be unfair if I do not mention Olumide Akpata’s name among the many influences who led me to concentrate on pursuing educational growth the way I ended up doing even though our career paths differed. I ended up being a late bloomer. I think I was more enamoured by worldly pursuits than he was back then but I doubt that to be the case right now considering how successful the man has become.

I now have a B.Sc in Accounting and Finance, a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration, PGDPA, MBA, and I am an associate of the Institute of Certified Public Accounts of Nigeria, ICPAN, yet maintain the unalloyed respect I have for the immediate past NBA (Nigerian Bar Association) president because of how well I know him and his achievements. I dare say I was very happy to offer my unsolicited and unremunerated voice to his campaign back then.

I am always happy to use my academic abilities and experiences I’ve acquired from sojourns with so many wonderful people I’ve encountered over the years who have filled me with very diverse skills in various branches, including book and article writing, proof reading, editing, and so much more.

Now to politics. My integrity and personal convictions have seen me supporting various contestants in practically every political party in different elections over time without actually donning any political party’s toga.

My habit, good or bad, is to identify the right individual and give them my unconditional support irrespective of their political party. This style of mine has seen some of my preferred candidates winning and some losing but my conscience always being intact.

It was a pleasant surprise to see that my old friend and brother, Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, had thrown his hat into the Edo governorship ring and very wisely with an accessible party devoid of the kind of baggage both the APC and PDP have been carrying lately.

My prayer now is that the Labour Party in Edo State will prove to be ready enough to withstand the expected barbs from the ruling party at the national level (APC) and the advantages incumbency may grant the PDP.

At this particular point in time, having taken a good look at all the contestants in the upcoming Edo governorship election, I have no iota of doubt that Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata is the best option to win this election with the Labour Party ticket if the people hold their ground and decide that they insist on a man of genuine pedigree who has a track record of sound achievements and appreciable success. He will deliver!